Means for breaking, digging, or loosening material to be dredged or excavated.



E. W. MOIR. MEANS FOR BREAKING, DIGGING, OR LOOSENING MATERIAL TO BE DREDGED OREXGAVATED.

- APBLIGATION FILED JUNE 3,1908.

908,41 5. Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

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.v E. W. MOIR. V MEANS FOR BREAKING, DIGGING, 0R LOOSENING MATERIAL TO BE DREDGED OR EXCAVATED. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3.1908.

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' ranged that, upon the breaker or digger bebalanced by the weight so as to act upon the a and are respectively an elevation and a UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

ERNEST WILLIAM MOIR, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND.

MEANS FOR BREAKING, DIGGING, OR LOOSENING MATERIAL TO BE DREDGED OR EXCAVATED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

Application filed June 3, 1908. Serial No. 436,378.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST WILLIAM Morn, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Westminster, England, have invented Improvements in or Relating to Means for Breaking, Digging, or Loosening Material to be Dredged or Excavated, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for breaking, digging or loosening material such as rock or chalk which is to be dredged or excavated and according thereto there are employed one or more breakers or diggers each comprising a weight which is formed or provided with teeth, prongs or the like so aring dropped from a suitable height onto the material, the teeth, prongs or the like will penetrate the material and be then overmaterial after the manner of picks. Usually the center of gravity of the weight will lie outside the general plane of the teeth, prongs or the like. Sometimes the breaker or digger may be formed in one piece of chisel head shape.

Breakers or diggers according to this invention, hereinafter called diggers, may be so arranged in conjunction with a dredger of the bucket ladder or other type that both the operations of breaking or digging both hereinafter included under the term digging and of dredging can be performed simultaneously; and one or more such diggers may be carried by dredging vessel and adapted to be worked from the hull thereof so that the same can be caused to effect the digging either through the well of the vessel or over one or other or both sides of the vessel, or both through the well and over one or both sides of the vessel as required.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 2 and 3, are respectively a side view, an end view and a plan of an example of digger according to this invention; Figs.

deck plan of a dredging vessel furnished with three such diggers; and Fig. 6 is a view illustrating the working of the three diggers in conjunction with the dredger, which in this example is of the bucket ladder type, and also clearly showing their picking or upraising action.

The digger shown in Figs. 1 to 3 is fitted l with three picks or teeth 1, secured in the weight or casting 2 by means of bolts 3 which pass through the picks and the casting and have their heads and nuts lodged in recesses 4 in its sides. In order to avoid injury to the suspending chain or rope 5 which would otherwise be liable to arise in consequence of the sharp bend that occurs as the digger falls over after each blow, the digger is connected with the rope or chain through a stirrup 6 pivoted on a long pin 7, passing lengthwise through the casting 2; and in the top of the casting 2 there are provided a pair of transverse grooves 8 which enable the stirrup to swing round a complete semicircle about the top of the digger. The

picks or teeth 1, which in the example illustrated are three in number are shown as pro vided with spade points in order to provide increased uplifting action, but the number of picks and the form of their points may be varied to suit different materials, the form shown is suitable for digging subaqueous chalk. The picks or teeth may be staggered, if desired. The weight or casting 2 is preferably tapered in transverse section as shown in Fig. 2, so as to diminish its resistance when falling through water and to bring its center of gravity as high as possible; and it is heavier on one side of the picks or teeth than on the other and long in proportion to its height so that an automatic picking or breaking upward action is obtained and its falling in the desired direction is insured.

In the arangement illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 there are employed three diggers 9, 10, and 11 such as already described; the digger 9 working over one side of the vessel about the middle of the length of its well 12, the digger 10 over the other side between the middle and the forward end of the well, and the digger 11 through the forward end of the well. The diggers are suspended by ropes or chains 5 worked by winches 13 conveniently situated on the vessel, and carried over derricks 14 so that the diggers can be dropped on to the bottom to dig the material by means of their picks 1. In the example shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the arrangement is such that, as the dredging buckets 15 carried on the endless chain 16 and over the ladder 17 are advanced forwardly and laterally, the diggers being out of alinement bot-h longitudinally and transversely of the vessel, while similarly advanced, are prevented from repeatedly acting on the material already dug. The arrangement shown is moreover such that some or all of the diggers can be operated through the well 12 between its forward end. and the foot of the ladder 17 when lowered into its maximum aft position for working during high water.

Apparatus according to this invention, while designed mainly for subaqueous excavation, may be suitably employed in excavation above water for the picking, digging, or loosening of material of sufficient hardness to resist excavation or to render its removal costly when carried out by ordinary means. When used on land the diggers can be worked from a staging and raised and lowered by any suitable lifting device such as a crane.

Nhat I claim is 1. A digger comprising an overbalancing weight at its upper part and a penetrating portion at its lower part, whereby upon the dig er being dropped from a suitable height;

it viiill penetrate the material being dug and act upon it after the manner of a pick owing to the weight overbalancing.

2. A digger comprising at its upper part an overbalancing weight long in proportion to its height and at its lower part penetrating teeth, whereby upon the digger being dropped from a suitable height, it will penetrate the material being dug and act upon it after the manner of a pick owing to the weight overbalancing.

3. A digger comprising a weight having a penetrating portion adapted, upon the digger being dropped from a suitable height, to penetrate the material being dug and to act upon it after the manner of a pick owing to the weight overbalancing, the center of gravity of the weight lying outside the general plane of the penetrating portion.

4. A digger comprising a weight having a penetrating portion constituted by teeth adapted, upon' the digger being dropped from a suitable height, to penetrate the material being dug and to act upon it after the manner of a pick owing to the weight overbalancing, the center of gravity of the weight lying outside the general plane of the penetrating portion.

5. A digger comprising an overbalancing weight at its upper part and a penetrating portion at its lower part, with a stirrup pivoted to the weight for attachment of flexible means for raising and dropping the digger, whereby upon the digger being dropped from a suitable height, it will penetrate the material being dug and act upon it after the manner of a pick owing to the weight overbalancing.

6. The combination with a floating vessel of a digger comprising a weight having a penetrating portion adapted, upon the digger being dropped from a suitable height, to penetrate the material being dug and to act upon it after the manner of a pick owing to the weight overbalancing, and means for raising and dropping same, as set forth.

7. The combination with a floating vessel of a number of diggers each comprising a weight having a penetrating portion adapted, upon the digger being dropped from a suitable height, to penetrate the material being dug and to act upon it after the manner of a pick owing to the weight overbalancing, and means for raising and dropping the several diggers out of alinement both longitudinally and transversely as set forth.

8. The combination with a floating vessel of a dredger, a digger comprising a weight having a penetrating portion adapted, upon the digger being dropped from a suitable height, to penetrate the material being dug and to act upon it after the manner of a pick owing to the weight overbalancing, and means for raising and dropping the digger, as set forth. 7

Signed at London, England, this twentysecond day of May 1908.

ERNEST WILLIAM MOIR.

lVitnesses 7. P. DEVINE, W. LANG. 

